


Morning After, and Tomorrow

by MonsterWrites (ConscientiousMonster)



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anal Sex, Blob Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Demons, Dreamon freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Light Bondage, M/M, Past Abuse, Power Play, Praise Kink, Psychological Trauma, Self-Worth Issues, Sexual Roleplay, Smut, talking about emotions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:33:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29058288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConscientiousMonster/pseuds/MonsterWrites
Summary: Technoblade has liked Dream for a while now. He finally invites him for a fun little one night stand. But instead of hitting a special spot inside of him, Techno accidentally hits a deep rooted trauma issue inside of Dream.Now he is determined to talk about it, and Dream is determined to not let that happen.This is somewhat of a porn with feelings and feelings with porn.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 633





	1. Chapter 1

Dream has become a frequent visitor for Technoblade. He acquired that status even before he started coming over to see if Tommy was hiding at his house, but Techno didn't mind seeing him around. He was quite comfortable with the strange man. Maybe a bit too comfortable. 

Making friends wasn't Techno's forte - stabbing was. But Dream stood out from other people for him. Dream was a worthy opponent. Their fighting styles were similar in many ways, but Dream managed to do one thing other people couldn't. 

He surprised Techno. 

Sometimes with his combat. Other times with his words. Other times in the ways that were harder to classify. Sometimes by actions that seemed a little supernatural, but not prominent enough that they would have Techno worry about a thing. 

And Techno felt attracted to it. He didn't feel attracted to many things or people. But he felt attracted to Dream. 

That's why he had no trouble inviting the man to stay at his place when he realized Dream didn't have a house of his own. (As for Tommy, who already lived under his roof at the time - he could just go screw himself I suppose. At least then he would no longer be able to steal his Gapples). And that's why he had no trouble eventually taking the initiative and inviting Dream to have some fun together, once upon a cold winter night. 

"You and I are both grown men. We can figure something out to do for the night." He advised, leaning over the crafting bench in the middle of the room. 

Dream crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall of chests in the backside of the room. 

"A one night stand. Is that what you're proposing?"

"Well, I'm not saying you should leave when we're done. You can always stay the night, and more. I told you that before."

Dream raised his shoulders and lowered his head, looking to the side. 

"...Yeah, okay. One night stand. But I don't want it to be vanilla."

"Of course not." Techno smiled, showcasing his rows of razor sharp teeth and two prominent tusks to the masked man. "Go on. You won’t freak me out. What do you want, baby?"

Dream coughed, feeling his face get redder under the mask. 

"Anyways, I… I, uhm…" he didn't dare say he _wanted_ things, "I welcome the idea of you tying me down." 

Techno nodded, mentally taking notes. 

"And we will need a safe word." Dream added.

"A safe word?"

"A safe word, because I want to be able to tell you to stop and have you keep going." Dream let out quickly, expecting that the next thing he'll hear will be a rejection. 

"A'ight." Techno shrugged. "Can do. So, to make sure I'm getting you right: you want me to tie you down, and you want to be telling me to stop, and say 'no', and you want me to fuck you anyways." 

Dream felt like he was at a restaurant and Techno was a waiter, double checking his order. 

"Yes."

"So I don't stop if you say 'no'. But I will stop and untie you if you say the safe word."

"Correct."

"What's the safe word?"

Dream looked around the room. Then he looked back at Techno. 

"Potato."

Techno smirked, stretching out, "How creative. Alright, if that's all that you want, I got the picture."

The taller man walked towards the ladder, heading up into the room where his bed was. 

"Are you coming or do we start the roleplay by me dragging you 'against your will'?"

Dream huffed, approaching the ladder as well. 

"Am I coming tonight? Depends on you. Hopefully yes." 

~ ~ ~

The preparations were short. Dream let himself get laid down on the bed, and was rather calm as Techno tied his hands to the backside of it, occasionally mumbling for him to not do that, and smiling with a chuckle when it didn't stop Techno. 

This was what he wanted. And it felt nice to finally have it, although it felt scary in a certain way to let the piglin hybrid have so much power over him. 

Techno hooked Dream's legs once he was done with his hands, placing them by the sides of his torso, and leaning down to steal a kiss from his lips. Dream had his mask raised just enough that his mouth was exposed for assault, but keeping it on was a part of the deal. 

"Stop…" Dream moaned without even a hint of the word's true meaning in it. 

"You know you want this Dream. You're not shy, are you?" Techno teased him. 

Dream bit his lips, feeling Techno undo his pants and trace his claw just above his entrance before probing him with a single talon. 

Techno may have agreed to Dream's terms, but he had his own pleasure to chase, especially now that he had the object of his adoration spread out right in front of him, and completely at his mercy. 

Lest he'd say the safe word. 

Dream accepted more kisses on his lips, and Techno timed entering his mouth with the action of adding more talons inside of him. 

Eventually Dream seemed ready enough, and Techno wasted no time undoing his belt and entering him. He was greeted with the words that said "stop, no" and meant "keep going, please". He chuckled, Dream must have thought he was pretty kinky just for that. How adorable, what innocence.

"Go find someone better." Dream moaned, turning his head to the side with a deep and content sigh. 

Technoblade admired the audacity of the man who was currenlty tied and filled balls-deep with his cock to try and talk him out of fucking him. He leaned down, running two hands behind Dream's back to hug him as he mindlessly replied. 

"What if you're my best one." 

Dream sighed and spoke after another thrust from the man above. 

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm worthless."

Even though the conversation was happening as they were having sex, it caught Techno's attention. He felt like if Dream was into being degraded in bed, he would have mentioned it along with other requests. So why was he only being so self-negative now? 

Techno sat up, smiling to himself. If Dream was into the lack of control, he would go all the way with it. Man in green should have said if he wanted to be degraded beforehand. 

"We're going to play a game, Dream." Techno teased, tracing his claws down the smaller man's torso, and finishing the trail on his dick. Dream only moaned in reply. 

"I'm going to make a statement about you. And you're going to agree with it and say it out loud."

Dream laughed softly, turning his head to the other side, "Mhmm, are you gonna degrade me? I've never tried that before. That might be fun."

Techno raised an eyebrow in confusion. Didn't Dream just say…? Hmm. Oh well. 

Neither of them were in a hurry, and Techno was the one setting the rhythm. He wasn't too focused on it at the moment, only occasionally thrusting his hips to keep Dream on the dreamy edge of pleasure. And he did that again, earning a soft sigh from the man below. Techno grabbed Dream's face by the chin, making him face Techno, as much as he could face him behind his mask. 

"You're a good boy, Dream." Said Techno. 

Dream laughed, as if the man said something funny. 

Techno was confused, but didn't want to make assumptions just yet. 

"I said, you will agree with me and say it back, Dream. Say that you're a good boy."

Dream's laughter halted. He looked a little less dreamy, now that he wrangled his head out of his claw and looked to the side. 

"I'm not saying that." 

Okay, now Techno made conclusions. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying not to assume any malice behind the sudden disobedience. Perhaps the smaller man just needed more convincing. 

"Dream, I don't think you understand which one of us sets the rules right now."

To prove his point, Techno grabbed the man's hips and angled his next thrust, hitting one very particular place inside of Dream that made his vision go white for a hot second. Dream wailed, arching his back. 

"If you want more - you're going to have to behave." 

Techno could see Dream nervously bite into his lips. What was his issue anyways? 

"Now repeat after me. You're a good boy, Dream." 

Dream puffed his cheeks, keeping his mouth shut. 

By now Techno concluded that even if Dream was into being degraded - it was not what Techno wanted to do. Though this seemed strangely different from simply not being into a specific kink. 

Techno grabbed Dream's head, digging his claws into his cheeks to make the smaller man face him again. Dream didn't seem aware of his current position, until he heard the piglin above growl. A deep and low sound that rumbled from within and made Techno’s annoyance clear. Dream felt a chill run down his spine. The piglin leaned down, whispering into his ear. 

"Dream. Either you behave and tell me what I want to hear, or I'm going to shove a vibrator up your ass and leave you here alone for hours." 

He felt Dream gulp down in fear. Dream looked up nervously as Techno returned to his sitting position. He was giving Dream a minute to consider his options. 

Out of two of them, Dream considered the third one. It was at this moment that Dream considered dropping the safe word. 

But he felt too bad to say it. He felt bad that they had built all this tension (mostly Techno doing the job) and he was about to ruin it over his personal issues. And he would probably only draw more attention to it if he did that by now. 

On another hand, fear excited him. Dream liked to feel threatened and scared by the man above. That was the point of his request. But this current threat wasn't a playful little roar that he was hoping for. It was an actual threat of something that Dream didn't actually want happening. Not one option, not the other. 

Techno growled more, and Dream suddenly felt himself smaller below him, for unknown reasons. 

"You're a good boy, Dream." Techno said, calmly. A storm hidden behind that calm facade. 

Dream hesitated. But eventually gulped down and replied in a defeated tone. 

"I'm… a good boy..."

Techno nodded, and rewarded the smaller man with another deep thrust to ease the tension. 

He kept purring praises and timing them with similar rewards for Dream. Finally, he was getting a chance and an excuse to tell Dream how he felt about him.

"You're good enough."

"I'm- I'm good enough."

It wasn't as easy for Dream to mindlessly repeat the compliments as it seemed. He had to swallow his deep rooted issues and hang his head down in despair as he kept appeasing Techno's weird yet effective form of torment. 

"You have lots of achievements."

"I have lots of… achievements."

It was somewhat true, but the voices in Dream’s head screamed otherwise. 

He was caught in between the voices that screamed that he was worthless, and the threat presented by the man he secretly admired, and feared in a sexual way. But the path of giving in and doing as the man said was the path of least resistance. Dream felt trapped, yet strangely loved. 

"You're lovable." Techno continued the torture, snapping Dream back to reality. 

"I'm lovable..." Dream said in a pitch that sounded like he was on the verge of tears, but Techno blamed that on what he was doing to the man by hitting his prostate. 

"You're beautiful. Precious. And you feel so good inside." 

"I'm beautiful… precious... feel so good…" 

Techno assumed Dream was crying about the painful pleasure he was receiving, so he showed some mercy and sped up, drawing them both closer to their climaxes faster. 

“You’re talented. Say it, Dream. Tell me what a good boy you are.” 

Dream’s reply sounded similar to his words, but it melted into moans and sighs as Dream finished, coming all over his green hoodie. Technoblade followed right after, filling Dream up and pulling out the last moment to get some on top of him. 

Techno leaned over Dream, propping himself up as he caught his breath and took in the beautiful picture before him. An object of his admiration, his favourite person, tied down, thoroughly fucked, and filled up all by the man himself. Techno leaned down, tracing his teeth around Dream’s neck, but not biting down. He could always do that later. He marked the man as his property enough for one time. So he settled for kissing his neck instead. 

Techno had his own fears to worry about now. Did he by chance make his affection too obvious, or would Dream assume that he was just messing with him? And what was that thing with the disobedience? Was there more to it or was Dream just trying to be bratty? It was hard to decipher Dream’s reaction by looking at his mask. But Techno wanted to make sure he did everything right in the little game they played. 

Luckily, that’s what the aftercare was for. 

“You did great, Dream.” Techno rasped, patting the man on the cheek. 

“...Thanks.” Dream replied through a sore throat. Probably lost his voice while screaming ‘no’. 

It felt as though his voice lacked a spark that it had before, but Techno thought he must have been tired. He reached over to untie Dream’s hands carefully. The man below him sighed, rubbing his wrists once they were free and holding them close to his chest. 

“Did I do all as you wanted me to?” Techno asked, taking his time and postponing getting up. He liked being so close with Dream. Perhaps they finished too soon. 

Dream didn’t reply to his question though. That alarmed Techno. 

“Dream?” 

Dream coughed nervously. 

“Yes. Yes you did, thanks.” Dream replied in a fast monotone, through another cough. 

Techno got off his bed, then picked Dream up in a bridal way. 

“Well, then don’t mind if we do some proper aftercare.” He said. 

Something seemed off, and he was determined to do things right. 

Dream didn’t protest, looking dazed off as Techno carefully carried him to the underground floors, where he had a room dedicated to being a bathroom. 

He undressed both, and proceeded to place Dream down into the one block deep water bath. He settled on the opposite side from him, not taking his eyes off Dream. 

Dream moved away, throwing his hands and head back over the edge and letting out a pained sigh. 

Techno felt uneasy seeing that behaviour. Did he damage Dream in a way the other didn't want him to? The hybrid man looked down, only to find Dream had tucked his legs together and to himself. As if he no longer wanted Techno seeing what the man had already gotten a good look of. 

“Dream? Can we talk about it now?” 

Dream didn’t seem to hear him. He shifted in the water, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning away as he seemed to curl up into a ball in the corner. 

This wasn’t ideal. 

Techno moved forward, reaching his claw towards Dream and gripping his shoulder. 

Dream shook his claw off. 

“Dream?”

Dream adjusted his mask down to cover his whole face. Once done with that, he finally faced Technoblade straight ahead and said the only word Techno was worried to hear. 

“Potato.” 

Techno kept his claws to himself as he watched Dream climb out of the water and use the first cloth he found nearby as a towel.

“Dream, if I did something wrong - you need to tell me that. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m trying to give you aftercare here, you’re not really letting me do that.” 

“I’m fine.” Dream said in a tone that couldn’t be less fine. “This was fun. Thanks. Goodbye.” 

He put his clothes back on and headed out. Techno discarded caring for getting his floor wet as he jumped out of the water and threw a bath gown on. He ran up to Dream and grabbed the man’s elbow to try and keep him from leaving. 

Dream only repeated the safe word, setting his hand free and running away as soon as he got the chance too. 

Techno slid down to the floor, rubbing a hand down his face, and wondering where he went wrong. 

~ ~ ~ 

A few quiet days passed by. 

Technoblade took several trips to the Dream SMP, never admitting that he was looking for Dream in the ruins of a former government. 

But the answer never comes from where you look for it. 

They met again when Techno came home and found Dream trying to drag Tommy out of his barrel. 

Dream looked over, stilling at the sight of the piglin, giving Tommy enough time to break free of his grasp and hide back inside his little box. 

Dream’s mask was fully on his face. Usually he would at least keep his mouth uncovered. Techno has grown to understand that this little detail correlated to Dream’s sense of security. 

So it was low right now. 

Techno raised his arms up, to show that he meant no harm. 

“Dream, we need to talk.” 

Dream huffed underneath his mask. 

“What do you want, Techno?” 

This was only a little bit more complicated because Tommy could hear the two. Yet the boy seemed to focus on his own safety right now, so Techno decided he would just talk and see what comes out of it. 

“Things went a little wrong last time we met, and I want to fix them.” He started carefully. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dream paired, picking a potion of harming from his inventory and looking for a way to drop it into Tommy’s barrel. 

Technoblade ignored whatever was going on there. Dream wouldn’t have killed Tommy, he knew that. All that he needed now is for Dream to hear him out, and having Tommy keep the man inside was useful for that goal. But it didn't last long.

Techno considered the options of what he could have said. He needed to pick one, and he needed to pick fast, seeing as Dream had managed to grab Tommy out of his box by holding the potion next to his forehead, as if it was a gun. Which it was a lot alike to. 

“Dream.” 

Dream picked Tommy with one hand around the hips, like he was a dog, and headed out. 

“I care about you.” 

The man stilled next to the closed door. The boy in his arms wasn’t as calm. He was shifting around, trying to wiggle out, or get a hold of Dream’s other hand to bite into it.

So Techno managed to get the man’s attention on himself. Good. 

“I care about you. Whatever I did wrong - I didn’t mean to. I want us to talk about it. I need you to tell me what I did wrong, so I can apologize for it. Dream, you’re not someone that I…” Techno coughed, starting his sentence over. “I don’t want to lose you.” 

Dream turned around, still holding the racoon child with one hand. 

“What in blazes are you two talking about?” Tommy asked, trying to get his hand in Dream’s face. Dream looked down at him, covering his mouth with the free hand. 

Tommy smirked in a devious way. He stuck his tongue out, licking Dream’s hand. 

Without skipping a beat, Dream shoved his hand into Tommy’s mouth, mindful of his gag reflex. Tommy has been temporarily silenced. 

Dream turned to Techno, remembering about the situation he was in. He tried to open his mouth, but the words just wouldn’t come out. 

So Techno continued guessing. 

“Did you not want me to do all of that in the end? Dream, you could have told me if it was, like, your first time or something. You didn’t even let me take care of you afterwards. Dream, I would have! You know I would have. Are you mad I didn’t comfort you?” 

Dream gripped his other hand into a fist. 

“I’m not mad.” He said angrily, looking to the side. 

Avoiding eye contact. 

“I’m sorry, but clearly you’re not. You’re not okay. Dream, I want to help you. I can’t do that if you don’t let me know what is wrong.” 

“Nothing is wrong!” 

“Did you not like having me in control? You could have told me to stop. You know you could have. Dream, did you…?” 

Usually Dream laughed like a kettle, but right now he seemed to adapt the other trait of said object - he was slowly boiling. And the next thing to happen was the moment he spilled over. He looked over at Tommy, then back at Techno, screaming out. 

“I loved having you in control, okay!? That's the problem!” 

That was some progress, even though it severely confused Technoblade. 

“That… that doesn’t have to be a problem? Why was that a problem?” 

Dream looked a little ruffled by the conversation. He pulled his hand out of Tommy’s mouth, leaving the confused boy coughing. Dream pointed up to underline his next point. 

“Power. It corrupts people. I should not have given you power over me.” 

Techno shrugged. 

“Look, as an anarchist I agree with you. Being in power corrupts. But like… all we did was have sex with a power imbalance roleplay. It wasn’t even real! I mean- you were in control as much as I was! Even more than I was! You knew that. You asked me for everything that I did to you.” 

Tommy finally perked his head up. 

“Dream, did you bottom for Technoblade?” He asked, butting into the conversation. 

Both adults said nothing, looking at Tommy in a silent rage and hoping that he’ll take a hint that adults are talking. 

But Tommy didn’t, and instead laughed out loud. 

“Oh my fucking- For fuck’s sake, just wait till I’ll tell everyone about it! Dream, of all people, slept with Technoblade and had some roleplay with him or some shit.” 

Tommy was laughing, until he felt the hand around his hips tighten. Dream threw the boy down onto the chest in the middle of the room. Before Tommy could get up and regain his balance, Dream grabbed him by the neck from behind, holding him down as he landed a hit where the sun didn’t shine for the boy. The boy’s laughter quickly turned into a pained scream. 

Technoblade stepped in, grabbing Dream by the wrists and eventually wrangling Tommy out of his hands, as he focused on keeping Dream still. Dream switched to trying to fight the taller man off, but Techno swiftly (and carefully) pushed him against the nearest wall to trap him. This only caused Dream to put more fight in. Which, in turn, caused Techno to stand flat against Dream, holding him tight by the shoulders and pushing him into the wall with the rest of his body. 

Dream struggled for a good minute, his coherent requests to be let go eventually getting lost within a strange sobbing. 

While the two handled their business, Tommy took the opportunity, and… hid on the floor below. He shifted down, but continued listening to the two above. Too fascinated by their relationship to run for his life now. He chugged down another gapple. 

Dream wasn’t crying because of Techno keeping him trapped in place. He was crying because the way he did it resembled a hug. Techno was a little alarmed that the tears that fell from behind the mask were a gooey black substance. But now was the time to have some answers, not questions. 

And then Dream said something the other man didn’t expect. 

“I’m sorry.” He sobbed out. “This is what I meant. Power. It corrupts. It makes you hurt people. I didn’t want to hurt Tommy. I didn’t want to...” 

Techno easied his grip on Dream’s shoulders, but only to relocate his hands and catch the crying man in a tight and inescapable bear hug. 

“To be fair, he was getting on your nerves.” 

“I’ve abused him.” Dream cried, confessing. 

Techno moved one hand to rub at Dream’s back, noting that despite everything Dream was very tense in his hands. This wasn’t ideal. 

“It’s okay, Dream.” Techno cooed, trying to comfort the other. “Whatever it was, it’s in the past now. Shh, it’s okay. We can just talk about it. This won’t hurt.” 

Dream cried, the tension in his body eventually fading away, but he didn’t dare hug the other back. 

“Techno. Please. Stop.” He whispered, still sobbing. “I mean it. Please let me go.” 

“Dream, I recognize that you mean it,” Techno said, tightening his grip just a little, “But I think this is what you need right now. I promise I only want to comfort you.” 

Dream dropped his head on Techno’s shoulder in defeat. Techno took one of his hands to try and guide Dream into hugging him back. But the man’s gloved hands just wouldn’t stick. So he returned to just holding Dream tightly. This was a good progress anyways. 

Realising that they’ll be there for a while, Techno slowly slid down, taking Dream with him, and continuing the hug with both sitting on the floor. 

When Dream’s breathing evened out, he spoke up again, in a quieter voice. 

“I’ve abused him. I have control over the boy. I control him with his discs.”

“Debatable.” Techno whispered back. 

“What do you mean?… I’m telling you. I hold control over him. Do you know what I use it for?” Dream leaned back - at least he attempted to. Techno loosened his grip just a little, realising that Dream wanted to face him as he spoke. “I abuse this power. I use it for fun! I toy with him! The power corrupts the best and the worst of people. It corrupted me into hurting him, just now, just because I can. Just to know that since I am the one to have control over him - the control of hurting him…” 

Dream reached a hand for his mask, gripping the lower side. 

“...Then he can’t be the one hurting me.” 

Slowly, he took the mask off. 

His face was darker than the rest of his body, with an unhealthy shade of dark green growing prominent the higher it went, while his chin and mouth still looked relatively human. Dream held his eyes closed. 

Techno kept rubbing at Dream’s back with his talons. 

“I see where you’re coming from about this. I said it’s debatable because… I know about you and him. And the thing is… you’re… not the one in control of Tommy.” 

Dream’s face portrayed displeasure at the words, eyes still closed shut. 

“You’re the one who depends on Tommy here.”

“That’s not true.” Dream growled back. 

“So then tell me. What exactly would you do, if one day the boy would simply stop caring about the discs?” 

“He would never.” 

“But what would you do? You would have no leverage on him. You care about him - in the controlling way. But he could easily move on from you. So, which one of you is the one abusing the other?” 

Dream turned his head away, or at least in the direction where Techno’s voice didn’t seem to come from. The warm breathing that occasionally landed on his face helped guide him. 

“...It’s not about what would happen if I lost control over him. It’s that I have control over him now. And… I use it to hurt him.” 

Dream turned his head back towards Techno. 

“And then… I gave you the power to control me.” 

He heard the piglin gasp lightly. 

“Ah.” Techno nodded, getting the idea. “You were worried that I’d use it to abuse you, because that’s what you’ve done in power?” 

After a momentary hesitation, Dream nodded. Techno slowly raised one of his hands and placed it on the back of Dream’s head, inviting him to lay his head back down on his shoulder. With reluctance, Dream took the invitation. 

“I see now.” Techno whispered, petting Dream’s back. “Look, I know this is a bad timing for this, but… Dream. I care about you. I care about you in a special way. I would never want to hurt you. At least, not in the way you wouldn’t ask me for.” 

Dream raised his hand, pushing it lightly against Techno’s chest. 

“It’s not just about me and Tommy. I’ve been loved too.” Dream clarified, “And I know how it goes by now. They all said they would never, you know?” 

Techno hummed. There may have been more to this than he imagined. Dream kept trying to push him away. 

“...But you’re special.” 

Techno perked his piglin ears up, leaning back to give Dream some space for talking. 

Dream raised his hand to his face, covering his right eye. He opened the left one. A pitch black iris with two fuchsia spirals stared at Techno from a face that portrayed no emotions whatsoever. Dream spoke on, with a fitting monotone voice. 

“You used the power you gained over me to… make me feel good. And make me say good things about myself. And that…” He gulped down. “That hurt worse than actually being abused did. I’m used to people treating me like I’m worthless. I’m not used to being fooled into thinking otherwise.” Dream smiled in a pained way. “I can only imagine it leading into an inevitable and painful fall if you try and raise my ego any higher. The higher you go the harder the fall, you know?” 

Techno blinked at him in utter confusion. 

“Dream, I didn’t make you lie. It was all true. I thought you sounded like you were being mean to yourself. So I made you remind yourself of your positive qualities.” 

“What fucking positive qualities?!” Dream growled, before quickly calming himself down and speaking in a monotone. “I am worthless. I’m a monster. There is nothing that I am good for, or good at.” 

Dream repeated the words that were etched into his soul by the list of people Techno couldn’t begin to imagine. 

“And love is just a ticking bomb for the day you realise all of that about me too, and abuse me as you should.” 

Techno coughed. 

“I’m not quite sure that’s how that works. And, look - none of that is true. I’m sorry your life made you feel otherwise. But you’re not worthless or any of that stuff. And I’m certainly not planning to abuse you.” 

Dream let out a pained cackle. 

“Well you should! If you want to love me - you should abuse me.” He was smiling by now. A pained, despaired smile. “At least I can tell what do people want from me when they abuse me. And then you come here with your little talk of 'caring' about me, and forcing me into saying all those nice things…” Dream broke the eye contact, a blush appearing on his cheeks. “To be honest… I liked what we had. I liked having you in control of me. You just… you were kind to me, and it felt like you meant well when you made me say all those things. I just don’t wanna be hurt again when the time comes for you to see how useless I really am.” 

“Okay, first of all - that’s not how that works, at all.” 

Techno took a minute to let all of Dream’s words sink in. When he fell in love he didn’t imagine that this is what he would find within. He suspected that Dream kept many secrets, but abuse wasn’t one of them. 

Well, too bad for Dream, Techno made the choice to love him despite this. If anything, this only gave him more reasons to care about Dream, and care about helping him. 

“How much someone loves you isn’t defined by your usability to them... _unless they’re an asshole!_ Look, I’m sorry you’ve had it bad. But that’s not how everyone loves. You just had a bad experience.” 

Dream huffed in annoyance. 

“Just abuse me already.” 

“Excuse me?” 

The man in the green hoodie looked around nervously, avoiding eye contact. 

“W-what are you not getting? I like you too, okay!!” He covered his mouth with his other hand, a pink blush visible on his cheeks. “I just… if you abused me - I would know what do you need me for. What’s my use to you. And I would understand why did you want me to tell all those lies about myself.” 

It was Techno’s turn to sigh. 

“Those weren’t lies. Okay, look,” Techno closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I’m sorry you were abused. But that doesn’t mean you have to see me as a monster too. I’m not in your life to hurt you. If I can help it - I’m going to help you.” 

Dream put his hand down from his mouth, yet kept the other one over his eye. He sighed heavily, hanging his head down and staring at the floor with the exposed eye. It was very quiet for a minute, until Techno broke the silence. 

“I love you.” 

Dream jerked like he’s been hit by lightning, looking up at the piglin hybrid who just confessed to him.

“I do. And I will never abuse you.” 

Dream stares at Techno. Pain. There’s just pain in his eye. It’s almost as if he wants to trust him… but the demons in his head whisper ‘no’ louder than Techno whispers his words of love. 

“Liar.” 

Dream spits the reply out, disgusted by himself for being that way. But he can’t help himself. That’s the one thing Techno is right about - Dream can’t help himself. 

Unfortunately for him, Techno sees right through it. 

“You’re trying to push me away over your own insecurities then, because I have done nothing but care about you since I realised how I felt about you. I’ve done all that you wanted me to, and I would do it again for you. I want you to know there’s more than sexuality to the way I feel about you. And you _need_ to understand that love isn't inherently a path to abuse, even if your experience says otherwise. You’ve just had it bad. But I can protect you from that.” 

Techno reaches a claw for him, and Dream shifts away, standing up quickly. 

“Don’t try and guilt trip me, Techno. That’s the one thing I can recognize. And the one thing that does not work on me! (...Anymore, anyways.)”

“I’m not trying to.” Techno parries in mild annoyance, getting up as well and continuing to reach his hand. “I’m asking you to trust me. You can leave me if I fail, but I want you to give me a chance to show you the love you’ve been missing out on.” 

Dream raises his hand up towards him… but pulls it to his chest quickly. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispers. “I do think that you could love someone in the purest form of love. But… that someone will have to be someone better.” 

Dream steps back, blindly searching for the doorknob behind himself without taking his eye off Techno. 

“Dream, wait.” 

“I’m trying to save you.” Says the man in the green hoodie. 

Seemingly remembering something, Dream kneels down and picks his mask back up, dusting it off. 

“Don’t close up on me now - now that you finally opened up for once!” Techno raises both hands up, as if he’s dealing with a scared cornered animal. 

“I’m sorry.” Dream voices some truth as he closes both eyes, adjusting the mask back onto his face. He leaves his mouth open, and the tear trails are still visible by the sides of it. 

He turns around, opening the door to the man’s house. 

It’s cold outside. Cold and snowing hard. Dream sighs. 

“Stay with me. At least until the storm ends?” Techno tries to find any way just to make Dream stay for longer. 

It’s clear to him now the man is in need of help. In need of comfort, and clearly in need of mental help. Techno is an English major dropout, but psychology is something he has a good experience with. Even if he can’t be a full time therapist for Dream, he wants to be the one to comfort him and snap him out of that abusive mindset the masked man lives by. 

Or at least to spend another 20 minutes in the bedroom with him. That has chances of being just as effective. Techno always believed lots of conflicts and problems could have been solved if you only locked two people up in a room for 20 minutes. But right now Dream was breaking free out of that room, and doing his best to avoid talking about it. 

“I wasted enough of your time.” 

Techno sighs in defeat. 

“I wonder who made you hate yourself so much.” He whispers to himself, rather. “I would love to have a chat with them. In the only universal language there is.” 

To his surprise, his despair to make Dream stay succeeds in making him halt in his step. Dream stays on the doorstep, clearly reluctant to go. 

Techno has to walk the thin line of not seeming like he cares to invite him to stay, and inviting him to stay. 

“You’re not a waste of my time.” He keeps going in a soft whisper, “And not a burden, or whatever else you might think of yourself. You would listen to me talk about my emotions if I needed to talk about it until I felt better. I know you would. What makes you think that doing the same for you is such an impossible task for me, I wonder.” 

“...Because it’s a waste of time if it changes nothing.” Dream replies. 

“You’re the one in control of that.” Techno parries, “You just need someone to nudge you in the right direction. Or hold your hand through it and don’t let you back out on that path.” 

When Dream doesn’t reply, Techno speaks on. 

“You should stay. Move in with me. I don’t need you to pay rent, just…” He reaches a claw for the man in front of him slowly. “...Stay,” 

“ _please._ ” 

Dream’s hands curl into fists and his shoulders raise. He turns back, just enough that his eye is visible to Techno behind the corner of the mask. 

“Techno. Grow the fuck up. People like me don’t get a ‘happily ever after’. Fall in love with someone who isn’t such a mess.” 

Dream holds onto his upper hands as he steps outside the house, walking into the cold and windy snow storm… 

  
  
  
  
  
  


A trident flies by and lands a meter away from Dream. There’s a string tied to it. Dream stares in confusion, completely befuddled. The trident begins to shift and tremble as it raises above the ground just barely and flies back - enchanted with Loyalty it seems. The string lands over Dream’s legs, tying them together and making him collapse down, face-mask first into the snow. Before he can turn around and set his legs free, there’s a shadow looming over him. A shadow of a piglin with a trident. 

“Well. I tried nicely.” Techno shrugs, picking Dream up and throwing him over his shoulder like a caught prey on the hunt. “Guess I’ll just have to _force you_ to be nice to yourself again, and again, _and again,_ till it _sticks._ ” 

“Techno, what the fuck.” Dream replies, trying to hit the man’s back from where he’s hanging. Techno doesn’t seem to notice his efforts as he yawns, heading back inside. 

“You know, it’s really not that deep when you think about it. You’re what, 21? Me too. By the time we’ll be 40 I’m sure I’ll have you loving yourself like I love you, if not more severely. Can’t beat it - just fuck it till it gives up and agrees with you.” 

Dream keeps screaming to be let down from Techno’s shoulder, but the winter weather drowns out his protests, and soon so does a pair of lips that lands over his own once they're inside. 

Tommy moves out of Technoblade’s house that day. He tells no one. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks later.

Techno opened the window and stuck his claw out, feeling for the weather outside. It was fairly windy. He grabbed his mantle, throwing it over his shoulders. 

“I’m going out for a little hunt.” He explained, checking on his weapon and making sure it was sharp as ever, “Are you sure you don’t want to get up, Dream?” 

From across the upper room of his little cottage, Dream stared up at Techno from the bed. 

“Why yes, Techno. I would very much love to get up.” Dream hissed back. “There just seems to be one little issue in my way…”

Dream proceeded to tug his hands, making the chains to the leather straps around his wrists jingle as they got pulled. 

“You know the rules, Dream.” Techno shrugged. 

“I thought I knew them, but then you decided to change them out of nowhere.” 

Techno sighed, coming closer and sitting down on the edge of the bed. He looked down at Dream with a soft smile. 

“It was quite simple, Dream. You say one nice thing about yourself - and you can go. And I know for a fact that I warned you - you know I did - that any escape attempts will make that number go higher.” 

Dream puffed his cheeks. He did know that, what he didn’t know was that Techno would actually go through with it. Techno reached his claw down, softly booping the middle of Dream’s mask with a tip of his talon. 

“So now, if you want to get up - all you gotta do is say three nice things about yourself.”

Dream replied nothing, turning his head to the side and huffing at the order. 

“It’s really not that hard, Dream.” 

It took some time. Techno knew that sometimes it simply took a little extra time for Dream to give in. Usually it worked accordingly to plan. This time didn’t seem out of the ordinary just yet. Dream turned his head back, staring up at Techno behind the comfort of his mask. 

“...Fine. I… okay, listen up: I made an _amazing_ escape plan! It only failed because I overlooked the single flaw that you found and used against me. But otherwise, it was a damn good plan! One of my high IQ moments if I do say so myself.” 

Techno nodded, raising his hand and folding one finger. 

“You said I have special eyes. So it must be true. I have… special eyes.” 

“You do. Well, I’ve only seen one of them. But I do think they’re both quite special.” Techno said, folding second finger. 

Dream hummed, somewhat flattered. 

“Come on, Dream. Just one more - and you can get up till I come home.” 

No reply came. Dream ran out of the positive things of the day pretty quickly. He felt like forgetting even more of it when he eventually heard Techno’s disappointed sigh above himself. 

“Dream, I could go out there for hours. Do you really want to take the risk of spending all that time strapped to my bed?” 

“No. I don’t, Techno. Can’t you just… let me go? I already said two things. There were only two things last time!” 

Techno shook his head, as he got up. 

“Well. Then I guess I’ll see you right here in several hours.” 

Dream glared up. 

“What if I need to use the bathroom?” 

“Suit yourself.” Technoblade shrugged, as he slowly made his way to the ladder, hoping that Dream could come up with another idea before he could leave. 

But Dream didn’t. And Techno had to go out there, with a heavy realisation that he was leaving the poor man all tied up in his house. But it was better than coming home and realising that Dream ran away again, and losing his mind over finding him again. 

Dream was not to be left alone with his trauma. 

~ ~ ~ 

Dream was left alone with his traumas, as he listened carefully for Techno’s hoofsteps to fade out in the winter weather. He sighed, pulling on his chains once again. They wouldn’t budge from where they were connected to the backside of the bed. 

Dream laid his head to the side, looking at his trapped hand. 

It shivered. Slowly, the shape of his hand began to shift, until it became thin enough that it simply slipped free of the leather strap, taking its original form once it was free. He did the same thing with the other one, getting up on the bed and stretching out as soon as he was done. Dream yawned, pushing at his back as he headed down. 

He was getting used to this. Sometimes, when Techno would sit with him for hours and keep a smile beaming on his face, Dream could almost forget his pain. He was almost getting used to this weird way of torture that Techno insisted on imploring on Dream. All he needed to do was repeat something that Techno complimented about him earlier. Easy enough. 

Dream stopped when he passed by the mirror on the lower floor. He approached it and leaned closer. The mask in the mirror smiled back at his own. Dream raised his hand and pushed his mask off one eye, staring into the mirror with his black eye. 

He heard a familiar whisper. A voice buried somewhere in a dark, dark corner of his subconscious. 

_“What the hell is wrong with your eyes?”_

Dream stared back. Two fuchsia rings trembling on his black iris. 

_“You’re some sorta freak.”_

He sighed, raising his hand and pushing it against the mirror frame. 

_“Get away from me, you… you monster!”_

Dream’s hand twitched. His leather gloves suddenly became liquid, as they dripped up his hand. Like the roots of the tree, the gooey strands tied around his upper hand, gradually reaching his shoulder. 

_“I know what you are.”_

Dream mouthed the next words, pushing the mask off his other eye to stare himself in both eyes and face the truth. 

_“A Dreamon.”_

_“A filthy, pathetic excuse of a dreamon.”_

Dream sighed, putting his mask back on. He didn’t feel like dealing with this today. But Technoblade was away, and the voice was present, even when he turned away from the mirror. 

_“What the hell have you done?! Who told you this was acceptable?! Of course it fucking wasn’t, are you fucking stupid?”_

Dream slid down to the floor, covering his ears. He wanted that voice gone. 

_“You’ve done it all wrong. This is why no one wants to be around you. You can’t do anything right.”_

“Shut up.” Dream hissed back. 

_“What are you even good for?”_

“Shut up…”

_“You’re worthless.”_

Dream jumped up, hitting the nearby wall on his way up. He paced in circles, cautiously looking around as if he was expecting an enemy to appear, even though all his enemies were long dead. 

_“You’re a waste of my time.”_

“Shut up!!!” Dream screamed for nobody to hear. 

_“I shouldn’t have bothered with you. If I knew, I would have left sooner. You’re unbearable.”_

The man slammed the door open, running outside and landing face first in the snow. He took his mask off, burying his face in the ice cold snow carpet. He hoped it would burn his face. Instead, his face burned through the snow. He felt himself change. 

It was at that point Dream felt grateful that he got out of the house in time. His Dreamon form was taking shape. He could tell. He always felt it coming. 

_“He’s going to see it too.”_ The other voice stepped in. 

Dream sat up on his fours slowly, his hands now a pair of gooey claws. A thin, devilish tail swooshed behind his back. He bared his teeth as they grew longer and sharper. 

_“He’ll see exactly what you are. And he’ll leave. You know they all leave. They always leave.”_

Dream moved forward on his fours, his body adapting a posture of a quadrupedal abomination. 

This voice was a different one. This voice didn’t hate him like the others did. This voice merely used the others to remind Dream of the only truth of this life. 

That he was a monster. 

The voice kept whispering, its hand calling Dream to come hither. Deeper, deeper into the winter woods. 

_“All those promises of love. You haven’t been foolish enough to trust him, have you, my Dreamon?”_

Dream didn’t reply, and even if he wanted to - he wouldn’t. He couldn’t quite talk when he was in this form, although shaking and nodding his head was still an option. He didn’t reply. Two large black tears rolled down his cheeks. 

The voice wasn’t pleased. But it didn’t hate Dream, so it merely laughed. 

Dream felt bad, stopping in his tracks. His tail went in between his hind legs, and he lowered his head down, staring at the sizzling snow below his gripped claws. 

_“It’s not going to be any different. He’ll kick you out as soon as he finds out what you truly are. But keep fooling yourself if it makes you feel better. After all, a healthy dose of hope is good for the feeling of an absolute…”_

Dream raised up on his fours, silently mouthing the name of the voice that his corrupted soul was bound to.

“Despair.” 

~ ~ ~ 

Dream was a Dreamon. The name of the species wasn’t nearly as menacing as the threat they posed. 

Every Dreamon had an emotion that their inner demon was tied to. Upon experiencing that emotion strongly, the demon side would come out and take over, rendering an individual into a semi feral animal that sought one thing - more power. The assigned emotion gave dreamons their power. But it was as easy to lose control, as it was to grow strong with it. 

A dreamon could channel their emotion into more power. But if their assigned emotion got out of control - so would they. 

A dreamon’s absolute state was considered a fine line between their feral, instincts driven side, and the coherence of whatever species they were. There wasn’t danger in overdosing on their feelings to the dreamons themselves - only to the people nearby, and the property value around them. And there was some danger in being denied their powers for a long period of time.

Dream faced neither of those problems. His emotion was despair, and whenever the time came - Dream would simply go out and indulge in it. He’d let the despair of all the pain of his life take over and pass over his soul. He accepted it, and it was kind to him. It was a pleasant process, and although it included a lot of wallowing in despair, most of the time Dream would come out of it stronger than before, and sometimes even feeling a little better. You’ve got to be sad to be happy, they said. 

Dream had more than enough despair to spare. Anytime he would think of all the people who used him and threw him out when they were done - it would be more than easy to enter his familiar monstrous state. 

Dream’s monster form was fairly tame, and the most he had used his powers for - was mild shapeshifting. 

He used it more with Techno though. If Dream failed to be nice to himself in exchange for freedom - he would simply wait for Techno to leave, and then shapeshift his way out of his bounds. He used his powers whenever they had sex too. At this point Dream didn’t think he had ever taken Technoblade without his powers, or that he ever could. Dream was unfairly smaller than the piglin hybrid that topped him. Techno’s blade would relocate his organs if he didn’t shapeshift around it to accommodate the invading organ. Same went for blowjobs. There is no way he could have ever fit it in his throat naturally. 

And that was fine with Dream. 

He walked home slowly, satisfied with his outlet for today. It’s not like he was self harming. He was just reminding himself of how pathetic his existence was, and that there was only one outcome for anyone who dared claim to love him.

Dream made sure his form was looking human again, before he jumped up to the window of the second floor. He knew that Techno would find out about his little secret and leave him eventually. But he didn’t want it to happen today. Or anytime soon. Or ever… 

Dream gripped the window frame. He was wrong. It would happen eventually. He had no control over it. He only had to wait and suffer, and feel happy before it would happen. Dream licked his lips, tasting the sweet despair of his fate… 

And then he gulped down nervously. He looked inside the house. Techno was home. 

And Techno saw that Dream was missing. 

~ ~ ~ 

Techno was a strong man, nothing ever scared him, not death itself. But looking down at an empty bed with two empty leather straps set a strange sense of worry inside of him. 

Dream ran away again. How did he even escape this time? He was tied down. 

It doesn’t matter. Techno would go out there and get him back. He’s been around Dream for long enough to learn that this man was better not left alone with his thoughts, or he fell victim to depression and some other abandonment fears a little too quickly. He needed to move out fast. Techno grabbed his mantle on the first floor, threw his bag over his shoulder, climbed back up to grab Orphan Obliterator, said “hello” to Dream as he passed him by on the bed, headed down to grab some potions and…

Wait a minute. 

Technoblade climbed back up, staring at Dream, who was currently strapped down on his bed. Just the way Techno left him before he went hunting. His mask was fully over his face. 

Techno came closer and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his hands by the sides of Dream’s hips, leaning down and squinting his eyes at the man on his bed. 

“Hey Techno.” Dream said, innocently. “Can I go now or do I have to be nice to myself again? I’m kinda feeling sore…” 

Techno blinked in disbelief. No, today would not be the day he would start questioning his sanity. Therefore, clearly Dream had somehow escaped, and had now returned back into being tied up. 

“How’d you escape?” Was Techno’s first question. 

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dream replied in a voice more monotone than usual. 

Techno thought about it before requesting the answer again. The problem here wasn’t how Dream escaped. And clearly, the worst thing Techno could have done is look for a way to enforce containing Dream. No, he needed to approach the situation from a completely different angle. Techno reached up, undoing the straps from Dream’s wrists. He noted that they didn’t look damaged by the straps at all. As if he wasn’t there the whole time. 

Dream rubbed at his wrists, feeling as if he did something wrong from Techno’s silence. He tried mumbling some sorta apology. 

Techno made a sudden movement and Dream raised his hand to cover his face. A past life habit. 

But the only thing Techno did was pick Dream into his arms and hug him. 

Dream coughed in confusion. 

“Dream, I don’t tie you down to keep you here. I worry that one day you could leave this house, and I won’t see you again for a long time.” Techno moved his claw on the back of Dream’s head. “I don’t want to lose you again.” 

This was still new to Dream, but he hugged Techno back. Two voices clashed in his head. One screamed that he was getting manipulated into being guilty of a choice he made. Of a freedom he had. The other voice spoke quieter. It said that Techno cares about him. 

“I’m… sorry...” Dream said slowly, feeling very vulnerable and stupid that it took so little for him to break and admit what he did. “I came back. I meant to.” 

“I’m glad you did.” Said Techno. He knew he needed to figure his way out of this situation without startling Dream. He learned quite a bit about walking the mindfield that was the masked man’s abused mind over the weeks. 

“Dream, if you don’t feel comfortable with it - I won’t leave you tied up anymore. I just don’t want you disappearing again, that is all. I’ll worry about you.” 

Dream suddenly felt like he did something very wrong. He was guilty. He had to make it up. He had to be hurt… so then why was Techno speaking softly and letting him have things his way? Dream was guilty! Guilty!! Bad, he was bad!!! 

Dream hugged back tighter. A single jolt of his small body made Technoblade aware of the fact that he was crying. The piglin guided the two to lay down, holding Dream close to himself. 

“We’ll get you out of this.” He cooed, wrapping his mantle over Dream’s shoulders and rubbing at his side. “I’ll get you out of this. I will.” 

_“I don’t care how broken they left you, Dream. I’ll fix you. You would know I always get what I set my mind too.”_ Thought Techno. 

_“You make me feel better than I deserve to.”_ Thought Dream, _“But… you also fool me into getting used to it. Damn it...”_

Dream felt easier when he felt Techno kiss his cheek. It was all that he needed to know exactly where the next half an hour was heading. He let himself melt into the two strong hands that moved him around, trusting into the touch. Trusting that this piglin would have hurt him any other time if that was his intention.

Dream threw his head back, sighing at the feeling of Techno’s tusks at his exposed neck. He moved his mask higher, and was rewarded with a kiss. Dream knew the drill, but it still felt so good each time. 

Actually, Techno spiced things up a little bit this way around. He laid on his back, moving Dream to sit up over his legs. While Techno undid his pants, Dream used his power to rearrange his own insides, making space for the dick that would soon be filling him. 

He liked the way Techno held his hands as he guided him over his dick, and a soft breath of relief left his lips as he sat down, taking it all in in one quick swoop. Techno was probably tired after his hunt, so Dream did all the job for him, bouncing up and down and leaning down to give his piglin boyfriend a couple of kisses all over his scarred face. 

Techno eventually grabbed Dream’s hips, setting his own ruthless pace that Dream handled with ease, doing a great job at moaning praises about how good he felt. 

It was true. There was something about the process that silenced the voices in his head when they fucked. It was gone unfairly too soon once they were done, but Dream clung to anything that helped him. He arched his back, screaming out as Techno rode his own orgasm out. 

And then came his second favourite part. The cuddling. Dream would die before he would admit that he loved it, or say that he wanted it. Sometimes he even wanted it more than sex iteslf, though he quite enjoyed cuddling while feeling Techno’s cock twitch and knot inside of him. 

Piglins came harder than other species, taking example from their pig relatives and cumming for quite a while. Anything for a higher chance of reproduction. It wasn’t Dream’s concern, neither was the flow of cum up his ass. His powers made the activity that would otherwise be quite dangerous to a human - a safe and easy task. 

Dream laid down on Techno’s chest, placing his head on his shoulder. He felt like a dirty, no-good liar. But as long as both were happy, he didn’t care. Techno ran two hands around his back, pushing him closer, and Dream hugged back. He used the opportunity to kiss Techno’s neck, thanking him for everything and nothing at the same time. 

For a moment, he almost forgot that he was a worthless demon that only lived a carefree life until Techno found out the truth. But it didn’t happen today. So Dream drifted off to his own dreams while his brain was still in the post coital bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll asked fo this so here's more, and a third one is coming, hopefully.  
> Illustration by the author.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno gets Dream a gift, and Dream gets a drop.
> 
> I received a massive amount of help for this chapter from @Melpomene_Muse_of_Tragedy on AO3. Thank you Mel! It's a pleasure torturing the characters with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Drop" as in that thing where you stop feeling like having sex in the middle of having sex.

Dreamons were basically invincible, they only had a single small weakness - iron. 

Iron doors were commonly used to trap and contain Dreamons, and iron handcuffs were applied as a way to prevent them from using their powers. Iron itself wasn't hurtful for the species - it simply prevented them from accessing their powers: from shape shifting to activating their more monstrous forms. 

Dream stared in the mirror, feeling fear set into his soul.

Techno promised him a gift that will "surely cheer him up and make him feel at home". And of all the things Techno could have gotten for him - he went with a branded iron collar.

"Sorry, I do love it, I do, I very much do!" Dream said nervously to the Piglin who had just locked the thing around his neck. "Just... I'm just not used to it, is all."

This little accessory posed so much more danger to him than Techno could imagine. Dream gulped down, feeling it very distinctly around his neck as he swallowed. He suddenly felt like valuing something he didn't think he'd lose. Yet he lost it.

“That’s quite alright,” Techno purred, running his hands around Dream’s waist to bring him closer. “It takes time. If you’re well-behaved I might even let you have little brakes from it.” 

He was all in on their usual roleplay that night. 

Techno scooped Dream up into his arms and spun around, holding his prize. Dancing with Dream the same way he would dance on the grave of his enemies... to flex. Then the piglin dropped Dream into a deep dip, bringing him back up into a fiery kiss. He happily explored the inside of Dream’s mouth, trying to be mindful of the fact that his tongue was large enough to completely fill it. 

Tecnoblade was aware that he kissed like a pig, but he would argue that there wasn’t really a point to the gesture if you weren’t willing to share as much saliva as possible. He eventually let Dream breathe, both because he needed to, and because he knew that Dream had come from that alone before, and he had big plans for tonight. 

He tossed the small human onto his bed and wiped his mouth off on his tunic sleeve. 

“How do you feel, Dream? Do you feel like my property?” Techno asked, trying to reenter the territory of kinks that he knew Dream had. 

Just like their first night. He knew Dream wanted it rough and without having a say in it. It was a dangerous rope to walk, but Techno was willing to walk miles for Dream. 

Dream was still catching his breath, coughing up saliva that didn't belong to him. That was just a kiss, he thought. Just a kiss! The easiest of things. And it had Dream losing his breath. It dawned on him that he was really spoiled with just how much he was using his powers to withstand Techno's raw energy and sizes. Dream rolled over to face him, tucking his legs to himself. 

"Property?" He asked, thinking into the word. 

In a way, it was perfect to describe his current position. He was trapped. Trapped like he's never been before. Not even during their first time. And the only source of danger was the piglin that held the key to his collar. Why couldn't Dream be scared in the way he loved to be scared instead, he thought.

"I am??... I am, it's all in your hands..." 

Dream looked at Techno up and down, suddenly trying his best to remember what he knew about the size of his dick. He was always so careless about it. He loved to play with fire, but now someone had stolen his safety gloves. 

And the fire was burning. 

Dream scooted back on the bed, trying to gain some illusion of a distance. 

"W-what are you planning now?" Maybe things weren't going to be so bad. Maybe Techno just wanted to watch a movie together that night... and cuddle... Dream could go for cuddles, and nothing else.

“Well... for starters we haven’t tested how tight that collar is when my cock is down your throat.”

Techno noticed Dream shying away. Usually, this meant he wanted Technoblade to pursue him with unrelenting force. For Techno to tie him up and dick him down. To be fucked so completely that he wouldn’t be able to walk for a week. 

Meanwhile, Dream was innerly screaming. The emotion he was feeling was fear. It wasn't acceptance and despair - it was fear. Dream thought that if only he could turn all that fear into despair - his source of dreamon powers - he could maybe regain some of his powers back, even despite the collar. But he just wasn't okay with it. This wasn't Dream's beloved type of fear. This wasn’t even his fucked up fear of having nice things and accepting Techno’s love for him. He was actually concerned for his safety. 

Dream felt himself throw up in his mouth a little. He quickly covered his mouth, having a guess as to what that was. A quick glance at his hand proved his theory right - it was black goo. Of all the powers that he lost, the "all his liquids are black goo" thing just had to stay, didn't it? Well, Techno has seen him cry black tears before, so Dream knew he probably wouldn't think this was out of the ordinary. 

Dream gulped down, trying to ground himself and consider his options. 

Option A, he attempts to have sex and just prays that it doesn't kill him, (althought it most likely will). 

Or Option B, in which Dream tells Techno that he's a dreamon, and that he can't fuck with this collar on, and that he's basically been lying about his identity and abilities throughout their whole relationship, and then he'll get kicked out of Techno's house, and then out of his life, and then Techno will never love him again... 

...After a brief consideration, Dream moved off the bed and sat down on his knees on the floor before Techno. He moved his mask above his mouth. 

"May I... take it at my own pace? Y-you know... to savour the sensations..." He asked, his throat already feeling sore from the worry alone.

Techno smiled wide, patting Dream on the top of his messy blond hair. 

“Of course you can. I love that you’re happy to get down on your knees for your owner, Dream. But I think my pet deserves to be comfortable.” 

After quickly getting his clothes out of the way, Techno picked Dream up in one arm and eased them both into bed. He let Dream rest on his chest like a pet cat. Techno settled himself among the pillows, cupping Dream’s face in his claws.

“And this is a much better view. Do your best Dream, you know how I get when I’m teased.” He winked. 

"Yeah, yeah I do know that..." Dream swallowed hard. 

He raised on his fours above Techno, getting a vague idea of just how deep his cock would go if it was to enter Dream now. This wasn't looking good. In either direction. 

Dream moved down, softly pushing at Techno's legs to sit in between them, and stare down at his future meal. Dream wanted to scream. 

For all Techno would know, he had done it a million times, and usually didn't even spill a drop. Dream's face became sour behind the mask. 

Unsuspiciously, Dream started by using his hands, working his palm up and down the piglin's shaft. Dream's palm couldn't even completely grasp around the thing. But he couldn't let Techno know, and he certainly didn't want to upset him, so with a deep sigh Dream leaned down, guiding the curly tip into his mouth. 

Goodness, how did he ever manage to do this before? This felt like trying to stick a corkscrew into his mouth. Nevertheless Dream proceeded, and got a whole lotta... three inches into his mouth, before he hit his limit. Dream gulped down nervously, tasting bacon as he did. 

He looked up at the unimpressed piglin. No, Dream had to try better. He couldn't lose Techno, neither could he upset him by being... _'out of it.'_

Dream attempted again... and had to come up for air pretty fast, choking on the black saliva over Techno's dick. 

"I- I got this..." he said, his voice a little hoarse. "I, uh... I'm being careful because- because I'm afraid to ruin the collar!" 

Briefly he wondered what would break first - the collar or his throat. Maybe if he focused on just licking and using his hands properly, Techno won't really mind? Maybe he can make him come by other means. Maybe if he wasn't such a liar…

Dream suddenly heard a faint white noise fill his ears. Very slowly, it began to drown out the rest of the world. 

Meanwhile, unaware of his torment, Techno had to bite back a laugh at how pathetic Dream’s attempts were. Comparing this Dream to the one who usually took him in in one fell swoop, Techno realized: Dream was playing up an act, obviously.

He grasped a handful of Dream’s hair, not letting him lift his head any further. 

“Oh, Dreeeam ~” Techno sang his name, “I hate to see you keep struggling like that. Here, let me help you...” 

Dream’s mind was on its way to another planet by the time Techno grabbed him by the chin with his other hand, and lined up his mouth to his dick. Techno squeezed Dream's jaw until he parted his cute little fangs. 

Techno felt concerned for the amount of resistance and tightness that he bucked his hips into, but didn’t feel alarmed enough, since he had done similar roleplays with Dream before. He knew the small human loved to play a helpless little victim. It was a much better state than his low self worth one anyways. Techno would actually get him to be happy when they did that. 

Techno moaned in pleasure as Dream’s throat tightened around his length. It stayed tight for longer than usual, meaning that Techno only got five or so thrusts in before he came. 

He shoved Dream down to swallow, and that’s when he noticed the black goo mixed with cum leaking from under Dream’s mask and from his lips. This wasn’t unusual as well, but Dream missing the drops and coughing up his prized seed was. 

Techno pulled Dream away from his own dick, finding that the human was limp in his arms. He waited for Dream to move, and when he didn’t, Techno peeked under the mask to see if he had passed out. 

When he found no resistance, and saw that Dream’s eye was open, he removed the whole mask. Certainly, if Dream didn’t want him to do that - he would have said so, or protested. Clearly, he meant for Techno to finally see both his eyes. 

They had plenty of sex before, but showing his whole face was something Dream never let happen before. Not on the first five dates, he wouldn’t. 

Techno concluded that Dream was conscious, and this was probably some similar form of “helpless victim” roleplay that he wanted to indulge in. He gently laid Dream on his side, and got up to fetch a glass bottle of thickly brewed lubricant. He had taken to making his own purely to get his favourite floral scents, so now he picked the Lavender bottle from the lot and poured it over his right claw’s talons. 

Dream was unusually tight for him. That was strange... usually it only took a minute or two for Techno to work in most of his hand, or the whole fist. 

Was this also intentional, he wondered, because it seemed like a strange detail to play up. Dream did seem to work like that sometimes though, surprising Techno with some things that the piglin couldn’t always explain as a “human thing” to do. Dream wasn’t exactly stable in any respect. 

Nevertheless, not hearing the safe word, Techno pressed on, fucking Dream with his fingers until he was able to take the next one.

“Nice try Dream. But I’ll take what I want from you if you’re conscious for it or not..” Techno spoke for what he assumed was Dream faking a dream. “You can’t escape me, not in your wildest dreams...”

To be precise, Dream didn't hear Techno at all past the moment he got his throat filled.

If there was anyone to apologize to, for the fact that Dream had always shielded himself from all of this with his powers - Dream would have apologised and begged for forgiveness and mercy. 

But this wasn't a case of pain that would stop if Dream only said the right words. 

Dream felt himself slowly fade away from the scenery. White noise along with his heartbeat filled his ears, as his vision blurred. 

And then the voices chimed in, telling him exactly where this was going. 

Dream wasn't going to be able to take Techno. He wasn't even going to take more than few of his fingers, since however many were in right now - were already burning his entrance badly. He wasn't going to be useful to Techno. He'd get thrown out. Techno is gonna break him and then throw him out, as they all did. Dream had lost him. He ran out of usability for the piglin. He lost the game. 

Drowning in those thoughts, Dream wasn't conscious of whatever was going on meanwhile. He didn't faint, although he felt close to it when he choked on Techno's dick. He simply laid moveless and stared up at the ceiling, no emotion written over his face whatsoever. 

Spare for his eyes, wide open in fear.

For once both were exposed to the world. One eye with black sclera and a fuchsia pupil; one with blue sky for the sclera, and a small yellow pupil of a sun on that gloomy sky. 

A rather typical eye colouration for a dreamon. 

He didn't even notice when his mask was taken off, and he hardly cared. This was the end either way, and Dream wasn't present for it. 

He already cried when he choked on his dick, but Dream felt more tears stream down his numb face now. 

He was a strong man, or at least he thought of himself as one. But right now, he wanted to cry.

And he cried. 

He wasn’t used to crying at pain, since it never helped. His tears never mattered, in fact they only ever made it worse. They only ever egged _Them_ to hurt Dream more. And yet now he cried silently. Not to let the world know that he was hurting, but to pity himself. 

That was his only reply to the piglin above.

Techno knew Dream wasn’t a crying type. 

He stilled. It dawned on him that something was wrong. 

The pang of guilt that hit Techno almost made him fall over. He pulled his hand away as if he was the one who got burned. 

Something had obviously gone very, very wrong somewhere. He was used to seeing the black tears, but not without the hysterics that told him it was part of the game that Dream loved to play. 

“Dr-dream?” Techno asked, cleaning his fingers off on his cloak and grabbing the human by the shoulders. 

“Dream, tell me what’s wrong. Are you hurt? Can you breathe? Did I break your jaw?”

Techno carefully felt around Dream’s mouth, looking for damage. He was hoping it would be that simple. But it wasn’t. 

When Dream felt the pain stop, his mind gained back a bit more clarity, bringing him back down to the scenery that was unfolding. 

He managed to focus his numb gaze on Techno. Dream honestly couldn't tell how much time had passed since he zoned out, so he just assumed Techno was already done with him, and this was the “break up” part. The “kick out” part. The “you weren’t good enough” part. The "it's over, again" part. It had many names in Dream’s head. 

He looked up at Techno, asking himself if he was ready for everything to end like that. So soon, too soon. A few weeks of paradise, and back to the truth of his pathetic lonely life.

He just had to be strong about it now. And Dream failed miserably right away. 

Dream opened his mouth to say something, when a painful realization hit him right in the chest, piercing through his wounded heart: 

He didn’t want to lose Techno. Despite all odds, Dream got attached, again. 

He tried to speak, but all that he managed to force out was a weak, pathetic sob.

“Shit.” Muttered Techno.

He ripped off his fluffy cloak and laid it out beside Dream, then rolled him on top of it and started to wrap the cloak into a cocoon. Once there was nothing of Dream visible besides his face, Tecno grabbed his mask and put it back in place. The piglin leaned against the wooden backboard of the bed, and cradled the bundle in his arms. 

“Shhhhh, shhhh... it’s okay, it’s all okay... we’ve stopped. We’ve stopped. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.“

Dream was very confused as to what was happening now. He wasn't used to being comforted about being hurt. Or being comforted at all, this addition was as new as Techno was in his life. But Dream couldn't react to it properly even if he wanted to, as at first he could only cry more, tugging the cloak closer to himself. He found his way into holding onto Techno's arm without unwrapping himself. 

It took a while, but eventually Dream was coherent enough again, and he got most of his tears out of his system, so he could talk again. He lowered his head down, whispering in a voice that was threatening to crack into another sob at any moment. 

"I'm s-sorry..." Dream tugged on Techno's hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin... I didn't... I'm sorry.”

Techno put his claw lightly over Dream’s mouth, seeing that he was heading in a wrong direction about it.

“Tell me what you’re feeling. Tell me what went wrong.” 

He lifted his claw, keeping his steady gaze on Dream. Since he seemed to calm down, Techno slowly brought Dream closer, and kissed his forehead just above the mask.

Despite the comfort, Dream focused on his words. The words he heard triggered something that he thought he had burried in his mind long ago - his abused mindest. 

Dream perked his head up. Oh! "What went wrong"? Dream knew that one! He knew that one very well. That was easy. He could do that one. 

"I feel very guilty that I ruined this for you. I did wrong by being bad." Dream said in a well rehearsed monotone. 

At least this was something he was familiar with. _They_ always made him say the same things, it was a game he was almost proud of himself for learning the rules of. 

"I will not do that again. I'll do better next time." He added in the same emotionless whisper. 

Usually at this point _They_ would start to forgive Dream a little, and maybe not hurt him for what he did wrong, if he said everything right. It was simple, really: It was always his fault. He was always in the wrong. And if he couldn’t fix it, then he just had to promise that he learned his lesson, and will do better next time. 

Though, strangely, Techno didn’t seem immediately satisfied with his obedience. Dream’s anxiety spiked up. Did he not say his apology right??

Techno frowned at his reply. He had heard Dream use his “guilty” voice before. In a way, he hated it. It wasn’t something he could blame Dream for - it was there from his past. From his very abusive past. Even if Techno could never see behind the curtain, he was determined to make Dream realise that he was in a better environment now. And in a way, he felt proud of himself for slowly learning how to talk Dream out this mindset. It just came naturally to his caring nature. 

Techno pushed Dream a little closer, whispering softly. 

“Dream I don’t give a fuck about you ‘ruining’ things. I want you to tell me why you started disassociating. Take your time, and tell me what your negative thoughts were.” 

Dream was still running on his old autopilot, so Techno decided that he just needed some more time. 

Techno carefully placed Dream onto the pillows, as he climbed off the bed. He didn’t need to go far and used the nearest brewing stand to make two familiar beverages: A cup of tea for himself, and a cup of warm cocoa for Dream. Techno sat down on the nearest chest, waiting for the drinks to cool to an acceptable temperature. He threw on some light pajama pants while he had the time.

From where he laid and stared up at Techno, Dream was having a very strange set of emotions flow through him. He thought he would get hurt, he thought he would be hurting by now, or getting thrown out by now… He thought he’d be out in the cold snow, not snuggled all nicely on Techno’s bed while the other looked at him like he was the most precious thing in his life, with a small tint of guilt in those loving eyes. 

Dream curled up like a cat underneath the cloak. Slowly, the comfort of the situation sunk in, despite Dream’s fear of it. 

Techno didn’t hurt him. He did not mean to. Neither did he seemingly plan on throwing Dream out, even if he couldn’t use him. The concept was foreign, but laying down in the comfort of his safety, Dream didn’t have a choice but to let it slowly creep into his mind. He didn't find a single negative feeling protesting to the comfort he was in, that would be loud enough to keep him wary and alert. 

Maybe Techno did love him differently?...

Techno climbed back onto the bed. He placed his cup on the bed stand by its side, and reached the warm cocoa cup to Dream. He sat back against the backside and cradled the Dream burrito once again. Dream sipped the warm drink, feeling the last whispers of his worst voices dissolve in the comfort and pampering attention he was getting. 

No, Techno wasn't anything like any of _Them_.

Still, the word "sorry" danced around the tip of Dream's tongue, wanting to be let out like a cat wanting to enter the room they weren't supposed to be in. 

"Thank you. I'm, uhm... sorry for that." Dream began, "I just wasn't... I wasn't feeling it, but I didn't want to ruin the night. You went through so much trouble to pick a perfect gift. And you clearly deserved my gratitude for it." 

Dream gripped his cup, reaching one hand to touch at the collar that still decorated his neck. Yeah, that was going to be a problem.

"You set the mood and everything. I just... didn't want to disappoint you." 

Dream's hands shook. If he had his powers, his corrupted parts would have extended and sharpened by now. But he still didn’t. He didn’t know if going for a long time without his powers was even healthy for a dreamon. 

"And then I figured since I couldn't be good enough for you, you'd probably..." 

Dream took another prolonged sip of cocoa. It was awkward to finish his sentence, so he hoped Techno would get it. It wasn't that Dream compared Techno to _Them_ \- it was that he didn't dare expect to be treated as a human by any wise individual. Especially since he wasn't one at all. 

"...I'm really sorry."

Techno sighed, somewhere in between relief and concern. He got Dream to talk about his emotions - that was always progress. It was his words that concerned him, though that was a given. 

The piglin smiled. After all, once he knew what he was working with - he could work with it. He brought Dream closer, speaking in the soft familiar tone. 

“Dream. You didn’t owe me anything. I should have noticed something was off sooner, but… you also should have told me. You know I always value your emotions. I wouldn’t have hated you. Look, I know you don’t think so, but you’re not here because you’re “usable” to me, or whatever it is. You’re _here,_ ” Techno pushed Dream closer lightly, “because **I love you**.” 

Dream placed his hand on Techno’s chest and leaned closer, shifting around at the words. He tried to let it sink in. He had nowhere to run from it anyways. 

“No amount of sex is worth having you go to that place in your head for. And I don’t want to be the cause of that, ever.”

For a moment, Dream raised up, opening his mouth. In his head he had gone through the many options of what he could have said. He gulped down, feeling ready to make changes. Feeling ready to tell Techno the truth and work from there. If the piglin really loved him - they would work their way around their differences. 

Something felt like it constricted Dream from swallowing. He moved his head to look down… and felt the collar still on his neck. 

Ah. Right. The collar. His powers. The truth. The vulnerability. The prospect of saying something potentially upsetting to Techno while Dream didn’t even have enough strength to protect himself or flee if things went South… 

Dream laid back down on Techno’s chest. 

“...I love you too.” He whispered back. 

_Not today. Maybe never. But for now, just not today._

Techno laid down, bringing the actual blanket closer to the two. He now had Dream wrapped in his cloak, then his arms, and on top of all his blanket. He knew Dream loved warmth, and trusted that he’d say if this was too much. 

Dream quite enjoyed the wall of a cloak between them. It made being in the same bed feel safer in his current situation. 

Dream sighed. 

“Techno?”

“Yes?” Techno immediately replied, understanding that whatever would follow those words - would probably be important. 

“I’m sor- could… could we, could we, maybe… please… not have sex for some time?” Dream cringed at himself, still not thrilled at having to be vulnerable and potentially upsetting at the piglin before him, “Sorry, I just… I think I need some time to… recover.” 

He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to. _They_ never asked if he was ready to be hurt more. 

“Yes.” Techno replied calmly, “I was thinking that’s the plan anyways. Do you want me to stop holding you?” 

“No! No, it’s… nice… It’s actually pretty nice…” Dream carefully hugged Techno back from behind the barrier of his own cloak, “This is cuddling, right?”

“Yes, yes it is." 

“It’s very nice. I… uhm…” He moved his head lower below Techno’s eye level. “I would love for us to… cuddle… maybe… sometime…” 

The rumble that came next was Techno’s loud and sincere laughter. Behind his mask, Dream blushed, puffing his cheeks in embarrassment. Techno pressed him closer, making squealing noises that he probably hadn’t done since his piglin puberty, as he finished laughing. 

“Yes Dream, we can cuddle any time. You don’t have to be shy about it, just tell me whenever you want it. It’s very unlikely that I’ll ever not want to cuddle with you too.” 

“Okay. I’ll tell you whenever I’ll feel like cuddling.” Dream said, knowing damn well that he was gonna be too shy to ever say that he wanted to cuddle. 

~ ~ ~ 

Dream got off the bed in the dark of the night. He made it to the floor below and stared in the mirror. 

The voices were there. The voices weren’t a part of his powers, they were somewhat opposite of it actually. 

But **The Voice** wasn’t there. Dream gripped the collar. He tried to wrangle it off. It didn’t bulge, of course it didn’t. It was iron. Usually he could tear through iron with ease, but not when it was locked around him. 

Just like emotions. 

Dream placed one hand over the mirror, lightly pushing his other one in a form of a fist against it. As if it was a window to his cage, and he was trying to break out. 

“Talk to me.” He begged. 

The Voice was quiet. 

Dream slid down, feeling his lower lip quiver in preparation for a sob. 

If The Voice was here, it’d probably tease him about letting yet another one trap him in this terrifying game called “Love”. 

“He’s different.” Dream would reason. 

_“You said it about all of them.”_ Would pair his Despair. 

For some time, Dream just focused on breathing and keeping himself calm. He couldn’t break down every time that he’d remember that he was trapped. Otherwise Techno would eventually see it and suspect something, or just ask him what was wrong again. Both were scary options. 

Dream wanted to shield Techno from dealing with as much of his emotional abuse bullshit as possible. 

Unfortunate for Techno, who wanted to deal and help with as much of Dream’s emotional abuse bullshit as possible. 

Dream sighed out, getting up. He stared at the mirror over his shoulder. 

“I’ll see you. I promise.” 

He went back up, climbing into the bed, and back into Techno’s arms without waking him up. 

It was going to be a long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Illustration by me once again.  
> There is more coming. I love how this story slowly grows into a "sexual drama-comedy", it's one of my favourite genres.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno finally takes the collar off Dream.  
> Dream has some pent up energy to take care off.  
> Techno worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Искала старушка четырнадцать дней, а пудель по комнате бегал за ней." @ Samuil Marshak, poems for kids.

It’s been two very stressful weeks. 

True to his promise, Techno didn’t even initiate a hug if Dream wasn’t the one wanting it. It was both good and bad, and such is life I suppose. Things are never perfect. 

Dream stayed alert, as he was locked out of having his powers. He tried to keep his behaviour up, toning down anything that usually raised Techno’s concerns. It was for the better, and at the same time it made him feel like a liar. Dream probably wouldn’t escape it if Techno cornered him about his emotions now. And he didn’t want that to happen. 

At some point he wondered if things were going to be like this forever, but the truth is nothing ever stays the same. People change like the tides in the ocean, and circumstances change even more often. 

Finally, the Fate has smiled upon Dream - he fell face-first into some mud. Techno helped him clean most of it out of his hair, but the iron collar had definitely gotten too dirty in the fall to just wipe it off on Dream. 

Dream needed a double take on what just happened, when he finally felt his neck free from the collar. Techno unlocked it and took off to clean it up, or so he was saying. Dream wasn’t listening. He felt his powers flow back in, and he felt the changes occur instantly. 

Okay, so maybe there was _some_ danger in being constricted from his power for too long. 

Dream jumped on the window frame of Techno’s house, caring very little that he was on his fours like a cat. 

Techno barely set down the collar by the time Dream made it out and ran towards the forest. Concerned, he slammed his door open, shouting Dream’s name after the man. 

Dream turned around without skipping a beat, almost falling over in the process. 

“I’ll be back, I promise!” He shouted back, and continued on his path towards the forest. 

Techno wasn’t too certain, but the man was too far away by the time he even considered chasing after. The piglin in the crown closed the door, and rubbed his chin in confusion. Did he… keep Dream on a leash too short for him? Was the collar - an overdo? Dream promised he’d be back, but the speed at which he ran away was concerning… 

Techno stared down at the dirty iron collar on his crafting bench. 

He knew Dream stayed with him when he felt wanted, but was Techno being overly controlling by chance?.. 

Dream ran as if he had broken out of a multi-layer security prison. He collapsed in the middle of a wintery forest, creating a snow angel with his movement. His powers ran through him like electricity, filling his vision with sparkles. 

_“About time you showed up.”_ Said The Voice. 

“I’m so sorry, I was trapped, I’ve…” Dream began talking, but stopped half way through his sentence. 

He sat up rapidly, clutching at his own upper hands. Over the past two weeks, Dream has been referring to his condition as a case of “green balls”. And now that he was set free, there had to be a release for all the built up tension he was forced to harness. 

Dream bent forward, burying his face in the snow. He felt _something_ coming… 

Miles away, in his little cottage, as Techno was cleaning the collar from the dirt, he saw the light from the outside fill his house, and a loud thunder rolled over the forest. Something inside his gut felt that Dream had something to do with whatever that explosion was. He dropped the collar. 

Dream was clutching himself in the middle of the crater that his outburst of energy made. He had transformed into a dreamon in its purest form… which wasn’t really different from his usual sessions. But he felt himself finally become one with all the pain and misery that lived inside his heart. Dream jumped up on his fours, heading into the forest. 

He could do anything! He’ll probably hunt, or get attacked, and lay down to let his enemy bite into his flesh, and feed off the pain it would cause. Grow stronger, then close his wounds and attack right back. Dream ran happily. Nothing was going to go wrong. 

And nothing went wrong. 

...Precisely until he was finished with the despair hunt. 

Dream was heading towards Techno’s house, as the evening downed on the winter forest. He had his fun, he had transformed back into a human. And at the end of the day, he made a choice to go back home. 

Maybe today would be the day he’ll tell Techno the truth, or open up about his pain. He could afford to be vulnerable when he had the safety of being able to fight back or run away, had things gone wrong. 

Dream felt it as he was just a few steps away from the cottage. His knees felt weak, and he collapsed down on them, prepping himself up with his hands. 

“Oh no.” 

Dreamons were not in danger of consuming too much power. It would not hurt them to become too powerful. Neither was it of any danger to channel too much energy for too long. After all, their bodies were an illusion most of the time. 

There was one catch though. When a dreamon runs through too much energy at once - they drain themselves, and usually have to take up a lesser form while their powers would regenerate to be able to sustain their usual form once again. 

Dream gulped, knowing that this is what was happening to him. He missed his powers so much - he used too much of them. 

And in one magical poof, he was gone. 

In the place where he stood, a small white blob laid face down in the snow that it shared the colouration with. 

Dream’s lesser form was a small white blob. Just a body and a head on top, with the permanent smile stuck on its face, like the mask he usually wore. 

Dream got up. He could move around. He made a squeaking toy noise as he hopped back and forth. He could nod, and he could shake his head. But he couldn’t talk. And he couldn’t emote with his face. 

Well shit. 

This was temporal, but not temporal enough. Dream promised he would go back home. He was going to let Techno know that he meant it. He was going to let him know that he… 

Loved him. 

Anxiously, Dream hopped in circles, trying to decide what he could do now. He could not let Techno see him like this. If literally every other instance of Dream showing bits of his dreamon powers, or even his eyes, didn’t make Techno realise what he was - then this certainly would. 

But he couldn’ just disappear away for several days. He’d leave Techno worried. Dream hung his head low, one of the very few expressions he could do. 

He jerked up when he heard movement, just in time to see the door to the cottage open. Dream stayed still, watching the silhouette that stood in the warm light of the doorframe. He forgot just how big Technoblade was, or maybe it seemed so because Dream was currently 8 inches tall himself. 

The cloak flowed behind Techno’s back as he stepped into the cold snow with his bare hooves. Dream could never quite comprehend just how resistant he was to the temperature. Not to mention Techno was at least somewhat of a piglin, and those were native to the Nether - the hottest known realm where water evaporated on sight. 

Dream realised he was daydreaming about his boyfriend a little in too deeply when he suddenly felt himself get picked up. How did Techno even spot him, he was as white as the snow around?? 

Nevertheless, while Dream was deep in his thoughts, Techno came closer and now picked the little white blob up, gripping it with one hand. Dream stayed perfectly still and quiet as he stared up blankly. Maybe if he’s good at it, Techno will assume that he’s a plushie or something… 

“Heh. Didn’t know Dream turned himself into a marketable plushie. Cringe. What a nerd.” Techno mused, inspecting the unknown object from all sides. “...Maybe I should do that too? Alright, whatever.” 

He gave what he assumed to be a plushie a tight squeeze. It made a squeaking noise. Technoblade glanced to the left, then to the right. Confirmed that no one was looking. He then tucked the little thing in the front pocket of his tunic. 

“Well, don’t mind if I do.” 

He carried the toy back inside the cottage, setting it down next to the fireplace to get a better look. It was quite strange to think Dream would randomly drop a toy of himself at Techno’s doorstep, but that’s the thing that he loved about the man - he was full of surprises. 

This time around, Techno surprised Dream. For the rest of the day he carried the toy with him, either in his pocket, or his hands. He placed it over his crossed legs as he sat down to read a book in the calm evening time. 

Dream was scared, but eventually realised that there wasn’t much he could have done about the situation, so he did the only thing left to do and tried to relax into it. He knew Techno was neat and careful with his possessions, so if he assumed that Dream was a plushie - he’d be careful with it. 

And hence Dream drifted off to sleep, last thing he remembered being handled with care and love. 

~ ~ ~ 

The morning sun made its way through the window and caressed Dream’s cheek. He tried asking Techno to cover the window, and found himself surprised that he couldn’t. Dream opened his eyes, the events of yesterday coming back to him. Ah right. He was still in his blob form. He was currently being cuddled as a night time teddy bear by a sleeping piglin above him. Oh well. 

This was a side of Techno that Dream didn’t know about before, and would never imagine at all. Cuddling with Dream when he looked human was one thing, but sleeping with a plushie… this Dream didn’t expect from Techno. He nuzzled against the sleeping piglin. He still felt sorry. 

This one time he decided to come clean… this just had to happen, didn’t it? Maybe it was a sign. Maybe Dream didn’t deserve the disclosure. 

Techno yawned, getting up to stretch out his limbs. He looked down, remembering that he found a toy last night. Right. It’s been a few days since Dream promised to return. 

As he got up, Techno sighed. He hoped Dream would come back, but it’s been long enough. It was time to go looking for him. Again. 

Techno had everything ready since the night. He got his breakfast, packed his ratio, got Carl out of his hiding spot and prepared him to leave in the morning. 

And he took the plushie with him. 

Techno made sure it was secured in his pocket as he got on Carl, beginning his journey once again. 

The first thing he wanted to check was the source of the mysterious beam of light that shone on the same day Dream ran away. Techno knew the direction it came from, so he planned that he would simply go in that direction until he’d see any possible source of it. There was no way it didn’t leave anything behind, whatever it was. 

Dream had no idea where they were heading. At this point he just let himself be carried around. It wouldn’t be the first instance of Dream laying down and giving Techno complete control of the situation, and trusting in wherever he’ll take him. 

The trip took quite some time, to the point Techno took breaks to let Carl rest, while he’d set up a little campfire. 

He sat down next to it, taking the toy out of his pocket. Absentmindedly, Techno wrapped it in the corner of his coat to keep it warm, reminiscing. He patted the head of the toy. 

“I’m sorry I’ve hurt you.” He mumbled, not too focused on why he would talk to the plush version of his boyfriend. It just felt like a right thing to do in the moment. 

“Why am I talking to a toy?” He eventually asked himself, giving the answer as well, “...I probably miss him more than I thought.” 

Techno looked around, holding himself back from talking to it again. Then he huffed. He was alone in the middle of a forest. Who cared? Not like he felt ashamed of it or anything, it was just weird how _real_ it felt to talk to this toy, and imagine that this was Dream. 

And Techno spoke. He spoke about his feelings, he took his sweet time practising what he’ll tell Dream once he sees him. He spilled things he didn’t quite want Dream knowing, and merely shook his head with a soft laugh as he’d mentally backspace on his sentences. He talked about all the ways he wished he could keep Dream all to himself. And he talked about all the ways Techno wanted to show his love for Dream, and all the lengths he was willing to walk just to make the poor abused soul give in to feeling love again. 

“I’d give you all the time in the world. I just wish I could be certain that you’d be with me until then.”

Dream was having a hard time not spilling his tears. 

Techno truly meant no harm, he spent a good while picking up his words, and worrying that he’ll scare Dream off if he uses the wrong phrasing, as he knew he could have. 

Techno went on, mumbling outloud about the little things he noticed about Dream. Starting from his “guilty” voice, and his habit of making his voice small and monotone if he thought he was in trouble, or had to mask his emotions. Techno noticed all of it. He could tell the signs of the past life still haunting Dream, and he wanted Dream to understand that his life would never be the same with Techno as it was with whomever had hurt him so much in the past. 

“You don’t have to feel guilty with me, or be afraid to make a mistake.” Techno said to the small thing in his claws, “Dream, I’m not going to hurt or abandon you over a small mistake. How can you not see it… do you think I’ve gone all the lengths so far, just to turn around and leave you over a small little mistake or a word you could say?” 

Techno sighed, bringing the toy closer to his chest and giving it a light hug. 

“I know I might be wanting to contain you a little too much for my own good. But that’s the thing. I fear nothing. But anytime you leave, I get a feeling… a strange worry that you’re somewhere out there, wallowing in your self hatred and whatever else negativity that all those people from your past made you believe about yourself.” 

Techno dug his claws into the toy lightly, mindful not to damage it. 

“I’m uneasy anytime that I don’t have confirmation that you’re okay. This sounds as stupid as it feels…” 

Techno moved the toy up to look it in the eyes. 

“...Is this love?” 

~ ~ ~ 

A day worth of traveling later, Techno found what he sought for. And he didn’t like it one bit. He jumped off his horse, leaving the little white blob in its side purse, as he approached the scenery. 

A giant crater. A dead spot in the middle of a plains biome, where nothing grew and the ground was pushed towards the edges. Techno walked to the center of it, before he started to feel his hooves shake. 

He finally fell to his knees when he found what he was looking for. 

Ripped strips from a familiar green hoodie. 

Techno reached out for the ripped fabric, clutching it in his claw as he brought it closer. 

The picture seemed obvious. Dream was here. And then something released a lot of energy, creating an explosion… 

And now Dream… wasn’t here. 

Techno dug his free claw into the dead dirth, gritting his pointed teeth.

Dream watched from the parcel on Carl’s side. He couldn’t believe his little dot eyes when he saw Techno’s body shiver and spasm, as if… 

As if he was crying. 

Dream remembered what happened at this crater. This is where he transformed. He must have left bits of his hoodie here when his form’s spikes ripped through it. 

And now it must have looked to Techno as if Dream was killed there. 

And he was… crying? Techno was crying. Techno was grieving that he thought he lost Dream forever. Techno didn’t want to lose him. 

Dream couldn’t take the sight for a single second longer. Not after he heard a soul wrenching growl come from Techno. He jumped out of the fabric and into the dry earth, hopping his way towards Techno. 

Techno was clutching the green straps in his fist so hard, he was drawing blood. He was swearing revenge. He would find whatever has taken Dream from him, and he would eradicate it. 

But first, he’d do what he never thought he was capable of. 

He’ll cry. Techno was crying. He hadn’t cried since he was a piglet, and he never thought there was anything that could have made him cry again. He believed he grew indifferent enough to everything and everyone around him. Betrayal upon betrayal taught him not to trust.

But Dream taught him how to love. 

Techno’s ear twitched before he did, sensing movement behind. 

He turned around fast, one hand clutching the base of the Orphan Obliterator, ready to draw it out and attack whoever dared see him right now, or whoever may have had something to do with Dream’s death. 

And instead he saw a little white blob in front of himself. 

Techno glanced around, confused as to who would have managed to sneak the toy right up to him, and leave without making a sound. 

And then, with a noise of a squeaky toy, the white blob jumped closer. 

Techno blinked twice, stilling completely as he stared at it. 

And then he collapsed into the dry dirt, letting the dark emptiness devour his world. 

~ ~ ~ 

Techno woke up to an impeccable amount of squeaking noises, all coming from a little white blob that jumped around him. It seemed worried, contradictory to the smile that was stuck on its face. It had moved to jumping on Techno in an attempt to wake him up, booping into his nose in the process. 

Techno grabbed the toy in one swift motion, using the skill he would usually use to catch a fish in the lake. 

A noise came from the toy, even though Techno wasn’t pressing down on it. He sat up and crossed his legs slowly, carefully setting the plushie down on the ground before himself. 

“D-Dream?” He stuttered out. 

He plushie nodded, guiltily. 

“Dream, if you’re in a plushie - nod twice.” 

The plushie nodded twice. 

There was a moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity. 

Then Techno broke down, laughing his lungs out. Dream was embarrassed to say the least, but he was glad that Techno wasn’t crying anymore, or assuming that he’s dead. He jumped closer, nudging into Techno’s claw. What he didn’t expect to happen next is that Techno would grip him hard in said claw the next moment. 

“Dream, you have no fucking idea… Actually, no, you _do_ have a fucking idea about how much I was worried for you! I thought I lost you forever!” 

Dream tried to press his head deeper into his body, hiding in guilt. He’d pout if he could. 

“Oh well. No point in stopping what I started. Now that I know you’re here - I’m gonna tell you the _rest_ of the things I wanted to tell you. And you’re gonna listen to it. It’s not like you have a choice... Also, are you gonna be a plushie forever now, or like… is that a curse I can lift or something? Do I kiss you to turn you back into a human?” 

Dream shook his head. 

“Is there anything else I gotta do to unplushiefy you?”

Dream shook his head again. 

“Is this just gonna pass on its own at some point?” 

Dream nodded. 

Techno laughed more, as he brought the toy closer for a very sloppy kiss anyways. 

“Had to check, you know.” He snorted, going back to Carl and preparing to head home. 

“Eh, we can take the road home slow. There is _a lot_ that we have to cover, Dream.” He smiled. 

Techno tied the strings of his coat around Dream, making sure the little toy had no escape, as he tucked it in the front of his tunic once again. He was getting used to the motion. 

“So, about those positive qualities of yours, Dream…” 

Dream squeaked in fear, glancing down and wondering if a fall from this height would knock him out. 

He had a very unpleasant explanation waiting to happen back home.


End file.
